2025 started as just another season, another opportunity for Russell Wilson. But so far, he’s looked like he’s aged every bit of 36.
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In Week 2 against the Cowboys, Wilson flashed some magic and made a few solid plays, but when it counted, he came up short and lost the game. That performance earned him another start, but the loss to the Chiefs in Week 3 now seems to have all but sealed his fate.
The Giants have now turned to rookie QB Jaxson Dart to start Week 4 against the undefeated LA Chargers. Wilson will dress as the backup, while Jameis Winston sits third on the depth chart.
Some might argue the team is throwing Dart to the wolves, and facing a team like the Chargers could test his confidence. But not Chris Simms.
The PFT analyst says Dart, an Ole Miss product, has proven to be more physical than Russell. Simms went on to call the rookie “surgical,” something Wilson has never quite been, especially in recent years … not in Denver under Sean Payton or last year in Pittsburgh.
“That’s the one thing we saw from Jaxson Dart in the preseason. The word I always use is ‘Surgicality’ and Russell Wilson just doesn’t have that,” Simms started on an episode of Pro Football Talk.
“Jaxon Dart’s here, and one thing he showed throughout three preseason games is 1) he is a pretty damn good athlete. 2) Better athlete than Russell Wilson… [He’s] gonna be able to run and do that more. And when it comes to intermediate throws, 5, 8, 12 yards, tighter windowns, reading coverage in a hurry, anticipate, getting the ball into that window, he’s more comfortable that way. He’s played that way his whole life,” added the former QB.
Simms went on to add that Dart isn’t quite as explosive a dual-threat QB as prime Russell Wilson, but the rookie is more athletic, and that’s enough to earn him the start next week. As for why he must get the start, Simms added, “We’re all going crazy watching Russell Wilson play quarterback. Nobody wants it.”
Simms admitted it won’t be easy for Dart to face the Chargers in his first start, but the analyst said beating them will require more than just throwing deep passes down the sideline. And Dart has the tools to do that.
Who knows, Dart might even surprise everyone by finding ways to overcome LA’s stout defense. The Giants can even design RPO plays that give the rookie opportunities to run the ball depending on how the defense reacts, and, as Simms suggested, it could translate into the team’s first win of the season.
It is indeed time for the Giants to at least give their first-round rookie, the one they traded up to draft, a shot.
In Week 2, we did see a 48-yard bomb from Wilson over two closing defenders into the hands of Malik Nabers, but his performance outside of that play fell short, to say the least. With that loss marking the team’s ninth consecutive defeat to an NFC East rival, things clearly need to change.
